Her
by imalistener
Summary: Short bechloe story in the perspective of Beca post-breakup. Slightly angsty but Bechloe endgame always. Enjoy xx
1. Chapter 1

**So it's been a while since I've posted a story and this is something I came up with one night when I just needed to write. It's not my best work but I wrote it when I was pretty much heartbroken and sad. I hope you enjoy it.**

xxxxxx

There's no getting over Chloe Beale. You know this because you've tried, on several, separate occasions. There's no forgetting the way her hair falls delicately over her face early in the morning when she's sleeping and you have to brush strands to the side just so you can kiss her cheek. And you know there's no way of erasing the trace of her lips on your skin; you could swear that sometimes when you've stared at yourself long enough in the mirror, you can still see the scars from her marks.

And you know you haven't moved on.

There was a time before you both had even started dating, when you could recall the touch of Chloe's lips against your own as if it were just a memory and not a fixture of your imagination. There was a time when you imagined her to taste of strawberries and rich cream but instead you now know for certain that she tastes of vanilla and whatever flavour of lip-gloss she chooses to wear.

And you know you'll never forget.

The first time you kissed her, you were arguing in the auditorium after a Bellas practise. You can't remember why you were arguing but to this day, you can still recall the look of passion in the other girl's eyes. It's a look that caused you to stop your end of the bickering; a look that caused you to instead close the distance between the two of you and draw Chloe's lips to your own. And no matter what, you could never really feel guilty for arguing with her because from then on, your quarrels always ended with a kiss; and most of the time, an apology.

And nothing could make you regret her.

xxxxxx

The first time she brought you home to meet her family, she wouldn't let go of your hand the entire car ride. She assured you the whole time that everything would be fine and no matter what, she would still be by your side at the end of the day. And if it wasn't for your innate belief that no family gathering could ever end well, you would've gone sooner; if not for the kindness shown by the Beale family then instead for the bright smile that adorned your then-girlfriend's face when she saw you talking to her older brother while bouncing his three-year-old son on your knee. You learnt what it was like to have a family and throughout the duration of your relationship, you found yourself becoming a prominent fixture in the Beale household.

You remember crying on the phone to Chloe's mother when she called you a week after the two of you had broken up to make sure you were looking after yourself. You remember her reassurances of knowing that "you'll come back to each other" and her mothers' intuition that "this isn't forever." What broke your heart even more was the confirmation that your former girlfriend was hurting just as much as you were. You knew Chloe had gone back to her childhood home for the time being and against your better judgment, you asked when she would be coming back to Barden and even though you had broken up, you had counted down the days.

Three day after she came back to Barden, you received a text message from Aubrey to go over to their apartment and talk to the redhead, the blonde dictator answering the door and allowing you to enter without hesitation. The budding friendship you had with Aubrey was a long time coming and still is one that takes a lot of patience and self-control from the both of you to maintain but you are glad that she stuck around in Barden after she graduated. The friendship you shared with Chloe however began months before you began dating and it became the foundation of your relationship; both of you scared to voice your fear of losing the company of each other if you were to ever break up.

You remember she didn't question your presence in the room as you moved to sit beside her on the lounge, handing her a plastic container of her favourite Chinese dish and telling her that your friendship was going back to the basics. You didn't question Chloe's tears an hour later and only moved closer to her so you could hold her as she cried until she fell asleep on the lounge, one arm draped over your waist and her head resting on your chest.

Despite all the love you had for her though, you knew that two ex-girlfriends waking up in the morning with their arms wrapped around each other could only guarantee an awkward situation. You remember gently extricating yourself from beneath the redhead until she was only cuddled up to the pillows and you were able to grab a blanket from the cupboard and tuck her in as best as you could. Grabbing a pillow and blanket for yourself, you set yourself up to sleep on the floor a good distance away from the couch, because you might not have been together but you still didn't want to be apart.

You remember the next morning declining her offer to stay for breakfast, ignoring the pang in your chest as you turned to leave. You recall all the times you've left her apartment in the morning, only ever saying no to food because you had an 8am class or the early shift at the station. You smiled despite yourself and despite the fact that you could hear the lump in her throat as she thanked you for being there when you didn't have to be. You remember looking at her as she mirrored your melancholic smile and you told her to always call you if she ever needed anything because you will always be her friend. And what remains unspoken is that you'll always be in love with her.

xxxxxx

And somehow, months later, you still manage to maintain a friendship with your beautiful ex-girlfriend. Albeit, there have been small mishaps like the time when the Bellas went out for lunch and you made the mistake of ordering food for the both of you. You should've felt embarrassed or at least looked sheepish but Chloe only chuckled and commented that no one could ever know her like you do. There was also the time when the two of you were walking to rehearsal with Stacie and Emily and she slid her hand in yours, intertwining your fingers. Not realising her mistake until the action had already occurred, you remember she quickly pulled her hand away, blushing profusely and mumbling an apology while you unsuccessfully tried to find the words to say that you didn't want her to let go. At least you could agree that not all the mistakes were your own.

xxxxxx

You supposed that space was an essential aspect of a relationship ending and maybe in hindsight, it was probably the reason why your break up with Chloe Beale was destined to fail. Having space in a relationship was never the downfall for the two of you; there was never a constant need to be around each other but you always created time; whether it would be you always making sure to bring her dinner the night before a big exam or Chloe always staying back after practise to help you clean up. It was more the way that your lives were so inexplicably intertwined that made maintaining a break up so difficult.

Even after being apart for months, the anxiety that came from trying to be friends and not overstepping any boundaries was as overwhelming as ever. And maybe that's why you felt grateful and immediately agreed to Fat Amy's proposal of an obligatory drunken night out to relieve stress. What made you more thankful was having Jessica and Ashley volunteer to be the designated drivers so you could drink freely knowing you had someone ready at a moment's notice to take you home.

You aren't feeling particularly grateful at the moment though; not when a jock as egotistical as any star quarterback has their hands running all over a certain Bellas' body. Tom Gray. Just the name makes you wince and having to see him flirt relentlessly with Chloe makes you want to drag him out of the club by just the skin of his teeth. You're aware of the past they shared with each other, falling into bed together when neither was in a relationship; his initial distain when you and Chloe began your relationship tarnishing any minor chance of a friendship before he began dating a slightly snobbish but still ever-so sweet girl on the cheerleading squad. You only guess that he is single now, given the way his hands inch dangerously towards Chloe's behind.

You can't deny your jealousy; not when Chloe throws her head back laughing at something he's just said. But the smile she gives him doesn't reach her eyes and it gives you a sliver of optimism. It's nothing like the smile she used to give you. The way her eyes would crinkle slightly and you would swear to her that someday, the corners of her smile would touch her ears. She used to smile at you that way a lot; if you made her pancakes in the morning or brought her coffee between classes, she always gave you a smile and a kiss in return. Your favourite was when you would tell her that she looked pretty, a shy smile complimented by a slight blush on her cheeks. Like all girls, Chloe liked being called 'beautiful' but you knew she loved it when you called her 'pretty'; such a simple word but holding such a delicately wonderful meaning.

Neither smile is like the one she's giving you now as she catches your eye from across the room. It's an all-too-knowing smirk accompanied by a wink and you know automatically that you've been caught leering. And maybe it's the alcohol in your system that causes you to grin and wink back at her just as the song ends and you see Tom walking away from her. You want to replace him; he's heading toward you, toward the bar and you start to think that you don't really have much to lose.

Because you know you'll always love her.

You could say it's the alcohol that has you pushing yourself away from the countertop and heading towards the still-moving redhead on the dance floor but you know it is not the case. You presume that it's the alcohol in her that has her squealing in delight at your unanticipated presence on the dance floor (it's Chloe though, so maybe not). She's grabbing your hand and pulling you closer so that she can turn her back and dance up against you.

You know it's the fact that you're in love with her that has you turning her back around so that you can look into her eyes as you let your hands rest on her waist and you begin to dance together. And you know from the smile on her face when she wraps her arms loosely around your neck almost instinctively that you made the right choice and you regret absolutely nothing. You spin her around occasionally – Tom, a distant thought in both of your minds – and you manage to pull her a little bit closer to your body each time until eventually, you're dancing cheek to cheek.

Eventually, you choose to create some space between you so you can ask her if what you're both doing is okay but before you even have a chance to speak, Chloe pulls you back in with a small shake of her head, placing a gentle kiss on your cheek and resting her head on your shoulder. And maybe they were right in saying that actions do speak louder than words, because if so, you might just be starting to believe that – in light of what all the Bellas' have told you – maybe, just maybe, she still loves you too.

xxxxxxx

 **Well as always, please favourite or review if you enjoyed the story. If you have any ideas on a bechloe oneshot that you'd like to see, let me know xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, so I've added another chapter because this small one-shot was stuck in my head a bit. This will be the last chapter, I won't be continuing the story but I hope you enjoy it**

Since that night in the club, you became aware that the interactions between the two of you were beginning to skirt along the border of friendship and something more; something you had in the past, something you both yearned to have again. And after that night in the club, you began to see what the other Bellas' were adamant about, Chloe's untiring love for you. Well, you weren't sure if it was still love but there were definitely reciprocated feelings and you'd take that any day.

Because you know there is still hope.

The lingering looks and the hugs that went a bit too long to be deemed necessary for people who had platonic feelings for each other. Her kisses to your cheek that seemed to edge closer and closer to your lips each time and resuming her habit of holding your hand and cuddling up to you during movies. She'd drop by your apartment unannounced just to see you before her residency started; this only caused a slight issue when she assumed Stacie's one-night-stand was yours. You both managed to skirt around the fact that for the first time in possibly her whole life, Chloe Beale was jealous, and you both came out of the situation, your relationship still under the guise of 'just friends'.

That was until you kissed her.

It was a stupid, drunken game of truth or dare at Chloe and Aubrey's apartment and of course, because you couldn't catch a break, Fat Amy chose your options. Your eyes went straight to Chloe's when you heard Amy tell you to either confess the kinkiest place you've had sex or kiss the hottest Bella in the room and you watched as the light dwindled in her blue eyes. Kissing her would mean breaking every rule you had set for yourself since the break up: don't play with her feelings, don't dive back into old habits and DO NOT be intimate with her. But you couldn't hurt her by kissing someone else. You moved so that you were crouched in front of her – quietly apologising for what was about to happen – and then there was no one else in the room and all you could feel was her lips against yours.

You could barely look away from her for the rest of the night, even offering to stay and help clean up while Aubrey retired to her bedroom and the rest of the Bellas' bid their farewells. You made small talk until eventually, you found that you had no other logical reason to stay but when you began to head toward the door, you felt her hand clasp around your wrist to stop you from leaving.

And almost as if there were cracks in your memory, the next thing you could recall was laying in her bed with Chloe's lips pressed against your neck and you couldn't wipe the smile off your face. Every now and then you would feel her bite down slightly on your skin only to sooth the mark with a lick of her tongue before moving to place more kisses along your jaw. You could only pull her closer to your body – until you were sharing the one pillow – before you were both content enough to fall asleep. You got up early the next morning to make her breakfast only to come back and find her in tears, the blankets pulled up to her chin; thinking that you had left out of regret.

But you could never have any regrets about being with her. And you hurt because after all this time, you didn't realise how much she was longing for you too.

xxxxxx

But now?

Now you feel happy. Elated. Overjoyed… basically any word that is synonymous with this euphoric feeling that holding her hand brings you. And it doesn't go away. Being with her is like finally taking a breath after struggling underwater, your brain short-circuits and the only thing you can focus on is breathing. Your thoughts barely waver from her anymore. Even now as she is seated next to you, she is close enough that you can smell her shampoo; you don't hear what is being said because all you can do is look at her. That is… until she turns to you and speaks.

"What do you think, Becs?"

It's the sound of her melodic voice that shocks you out of your thoughts and back into reality. Shaking your head quickly in an attempt to clear your mind – ignoring the fact that it is cluttered with thoughts of her more than ever – you give her a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening."

"Of course you weren't." Jake Beale calls from his place at the head of the table causing both of you to look over at him as he waves his fork in the air, grinning good-naturedly. "You were too busy ogling my daughter."

Chloe only rolls her eyes at his tongue-in-cheek comment before moving her chair closer to yours so she can lean against you; you at least have the decency to blush while you wrap your arm around her waist. Chloe's brother, Trey, comes to your rescue though before you even begin to salvage a response. "Dad, I'm fairly certain she was just thanking her lucky stars that her girlfriend didn't get your looks."

The whole clan of Beale's – including you - burst into laughter. "Hey, I resent that." Jake exclaims while Chloe's mother, Rose gets up from the table and begins to collect everyone's plates. You thank her when she takes your plate and she jokingly states that seeing as though it's been months since you've been around for dinner at the Beale residence, it's your turn to wash up. You're too happy that it doesn't even dawn on you, the reason for your absence as you move to get up from the table, kissing Chloe on the top of her head and squeezing her hand quickly before following her mother into the kitchen.

xxxxxx

You're washing the dishes, listening to the animated noise coming from the living room when you hear Trey enter behind you. "You know, I'm glad you're back." He says as he hops up to sit on the countertop. "Chloe was a moping mess in the time you guys were broken up."

"It's good to be back." You speak genuinely, concentrating on cleaning a smudge off one of the plates before you turn your head toward him, smiling slightly at his childish grin as he swings his legs back and forth.

"We placed bets to see how long the break up would last; Mum won."

"Oh yeah, what was the highest bet?"

"Mum said one year tops."

You fail to hide your curiosity about the bet by focusing on finishing the dishes but Trey still picks up on your intrigue. "Me and Dad argued that you were 'destined to be' or some shit like that but Mum reasoned that you had a relationship that was almost too developed for students in college. She said that you both needed time to become adults before you started placing all this responsibility and pressure on yourselves."

You nod your head in understanding. "I guess we needed time to grow up and become adults."

You feel her before you hear her; Chloe's arms wrapping around your waist ad her chin found rest on your shoulder. "And as you can tell, dear brother, Beca didn't do any growing at all."

You scoff, wiping your hands on a tea towel before turning to face her; "And as you can tell, dear girlfriend, I'm only back for the company of your family."

"WOO." You hear Trey cheer but you didn't realise how little the distance that Chloe left between you was before you turned and now, you are unable to focus on anything other than her. "Is that right?" Her lips are far too close to yours for comfort, her tongue darting out to wet her bottom lip and she knows you're no longer composed because she smirks.

"I-I think so... I'm not too s-sure." You stutter your way through your answer and Chloe grins before leaning in to peck you on the cheek. "Good answer." She steps back and grabs your hand, pulling you toward the lounge room. "Now c'mon, Dad wants to play a board game before we all go to bed."

Trey hops off the counter and follows you both, bumping your arm with his own. "Next time we're alone Becs, we can talk about how whipped you are." You punch his arm so hard that he has to go back into the kitchen later on to get an ice pack.

xxxxxx

You both go to bed not long after the competitive nature of the Beale family starts to become aggressive during the many bouts of board games. Chloe has her back to you in bed but she's squeezing your hand and pulling you closer so that your arm is draped over her waist. "Thank you for coming with me." You hear her whisper and it causes you to smile into the back of her neck before speaking. "If we're being honest, a week away from you would have been too long."

You loosen your hold on her as she turns around to face you, "While we're still being honest with each other…" She pauses mid-sentence and you feel her lift a hand to cup your cheek before she continues to speak; "Did you ever imagine that we'd be back here… that we would be 'us' again?"

"I was never sure but I had hope." You answer truthfully and you're rewarded with Chloe leaning in to brush her lips softly over yours; you quickly grant the girl's tongue access when you feel it swipe across your bottom lip. You want to go further – only God knows how much you want to – but it's as soon as Chloe moves to straddle your hips that you remember the location of her parents sleeping in the next room. "Chlo…" You feel a laugh building up in your chest when she moves her hands under your shirt to rest on your stomach; it makes you curse the fact that you're so ticklish. "Your parents are in the next room."

You can't help but chuckle at Chloe's groan as she lets her body fall forward so that she's laying on top of you, her head buried in your neck. "But I want to." You hear her muffled voice reply. "I promise I'll be quiet." It astounds you how she manages to think she's able to keep that promise when she's done the exact opposite so many times before; with Aubrey in the next room, with Stacie taking a shower, with Emily in a sleeping bag next to the two of you."

"You do not have the capability to stay quiet which is good because I would have absolutely no intention of doing anything that will allow you to stay silent." You whisper into her ear, smirking at the shiver you feel coursing through Chloe's body. "In fact, if we could, I would want you to be very, very loud." You feel a bite at your neck and you resist the urge to let out a yelp. "I hope you know then that if you're not going to give me what I want then I don't plan on moving off your chest." You scoff before wrapping your arms around her to keep her in place. "As if I would ever let you go again anyway."

And you rediscover that you never want to let her go – not that you ever forgot – because there is so much to look forward to when you have Chloe Beale by your side.

 **And there you have it, let me know what you thought xx**


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